Tube Payments

Shaun Bailey: Please provide a breakdown in terms of the number of people who use the tube each day and what payment method they use?

The Mayor: The table below shows the daily average number of cards and tickets used to travel on Transport for London’s network.
The data covers all cards and tickets used in January 2020, prior to the coronavirus pandemic, regardless of which mode passengers used to complete their journey.
It is not possible to link the method of payment for a Travelcard, Bus Pass or an Oyster pay as you go top up with actual travel made.
Daily average number of cards and tickets (thousands)
%
Oyster PAYG
919
28%
Contactless
1,444
44%
Travelcard season
673
20%
Bus Pass season
146
4%
Day Travelcard
67
2%
Paper single
60
2%

Oakley Street Traffic Issues (4)

Tony Devenish: Will you support a coach and HGV ban on Oakley Street?

The Mayor: I have asked that Transport for London (TfL) continues to work closely with the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea regarding discussions for such proposals. I understand that TfL would need to assess the impacts of any such proposal before committing support.

Oakley Street Traffic Issues (3)

Tony Devenish: Will you commit to air quality monitoring of the Chelsea Embankment?

The Mayor: Air quality monitoring takes place across London and published air quality data can be viewed on the GLA website at https://maps.london.gov.uk/air-quality/. Details of the closest monitoring site to Chelsea Embankment can be viewed on this link: https://www.airqualityengland.co.uk/site/latest?site_id=KC4.
You may be aware that it is challenging to attribute changes in air quality to specific changes on the road network. While air quality monitoring can assist in this evaluation it requires data both before and after on the route in question..
Transport for London will not be installing separate air quality monitoring for the temporary scheme along Cycle Superhighway 8, but will be conducting transport monitoring and using the existing longer term air quality monitoring network to evaluate the scheme for all road users.

Oakley Street Traffic Issues (1)

Tony Devenish: Will you commit to the reopening of the left turn westbound from Grosvenor Road onto Chelsea Bridge for traffic?

The Mayor: The left turn from Grosvenor Road onto Chelsea Bridge is banned for all traffic except cyclists as part of the Streetspace temporary cycle scheme installed in summer 2020. This restriction is an important safety feature to remove the conflict at the junction between the high volume of cyclists and motor vehicles. Transport for London is continuing to monitor the temporary changes along this route. At this stage there are no plans to reopen this left turn.

Transport in Hammersmith & Fulham During Covid (2)

Tony Devenish: Do you agree that with temporary cycle lanes erected, there has been an excellent opportunity to assess the efficacy of CW9 and consider whether any redesign or changes would be necessary or appropriate?

The Mayor: I am delighted that the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham was one of the first boroughs in London to introduce temporary cycle facilities on the proposed route of Cycleway 9 (C9). The temporary protected tracks have helped many west Londoners travel safely during the coronavirus pandemic. Transport for London (TfL) is monitoring the route and continuing to work closely with the borough to consider improvements to the temporary scheme as required.
At the same time, TfL is committed to delivering a permanent C9 route from Brentford to Kensington Olympia. As you know, the design for C9 was considered at length by TfL in partnership with the local boroughs, and work before the pandemic included extensive public consultation. The agreed permanent design remains the best option to remove barriers to cycling and encourage more people to travel sustainably. Of course, TfL will be looking closely at any lessons that can be learned from the temporary C9 scheme as part of the longer-term implementation of the C9 project.

Santander Cycles

Caroline Pidgeon: TfL’s Programme and Investment committee papers for 11 December 2020 refer to a feasibility study for the e-bike choice, which was carried out by Serco. Please set out how this feasibility study will be considered. Please also provide details of TfL’s further plans to introduce e-bikes for hire.

The Mayor: Transport for London’s Cycle Hire scheme continues to be successful with record numbers of customers using it this summer as they provided a socially distanced travel option through the coronavirus pandemic.
The scheme operates in an increasingly competitive micro-mobility market across London, and as part of its future planning, it has looked at options to keep pace withchanging market conditions and customer needs. The introduction of e-bikes is under review as part of plans to upgrade the Cycle Hire Scheme.
The specific assessment relates to an e-bike feasibility study that was carried was based on the factors including compatibility, safety as well as value for money.

Unsafe Junction between Cheyne Walk and Beaufort Street

Tony Devenish: With regard to my question 2020/4792, an FOI request has revealed that there have been 10 accidents between 1st April and 31st October 2020 at the Junction between Cheyne Walk and Beaufort Street. Do you agree with my constituents that this is unacceptably high and will you redouble efforts to achieve pedestrian improvements at this junction?

The Mayor: I agree that the level of casualties at this junction is unacceptable and I am very supportive of bringing forward safety improvements to the Cheyne Walk / Beaufort Street junction. I understand that Transport for London’s feasibility studies have highlighted that introducing safer facilities for pedestrians and cyclists without adverse impacts on buses will require difficult choices, including restricting traffic movements. I have asked TfL to continue to work closely with the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea, who I hope will be supportive of such proposals.

Tactile paving

Caroline Pidgeon: Please list the stations, platforms and lengths of platform that do not have tactile paving along the edge of platforms at all TfL rail and Overground stations. Please also provide your timetable to ensure tactile paving is provided at the edge of all TfL platforms.

The Mayor: Regarding London Overground stations, please see my response to Mayor’s Question 2020/3794. Platforms 1 & 2 at Clapton are currently being looked into for feasibility and delivery in 2021.
All Transport for London Rail platforms have tactile paving, with the exception of Iver and Hanwell. Network Rail owns these two stations, so is best placed to advise on a timetable for installation. There is also a small section of tactile paving missing at Brentwood platforms 1 and 2, which is due to be rectified this year.
Lengths for platforms at Iver and Hanwell are:

Police front desk closures in RBKC

Murad Qureshi: While Lancaster Rd front desk is temporarily closed all local residents of RBKC are expected to use the front desk at Kensington Police station instead. When can we expect this temporary closure to end?

The Mayor: I can confirm that the Royalty Studios (Lancaster Rd) front counter re-opened with effect from 25 January 2021.

Safety Incident(s) that Prompted TfL Internal Audit to undertake IA 16767

Keith Prince: Since TfL Internal Audit’s decision to undertake—

(a) IA 17780 was prompted by a safety incident involving a Tram Driver filmed behind the controls on 18 May 2017 and
(b) IA 13744 was prompted by a Tram Driver reporting fatigue concerns to CIRAS on 4 March 2014

—what safety incident involving First Group TOL’s operation of the Croydon Tram prompted Internal Audit to commence IA 16767 in October 2016?

The Mayor: Audit IA 13744 was not prompted by a Tram Driver reporting fatigue concerns to CIRAS. I refer you to my answer to 2020/4104.
IA 16767 was not prompted by an incident.
Both audits IA 13744 and IA 16766 are part of the normal process of auditing Transport for London services and those of its contractors, which arose from audit planning meetings within Transport for London.

Crossrail (1)

Gareth Bacon: Question 2020/2671 states, 'Following the start of Trial Running, it will then take a period of time to fully test the Elizabeth line before it can open for passenger service.' How long is this testing expected to last?

The Mayor: The focus of the programme is to begin Trial Running at the earliest opportunity in 2021. Trial Running will involve testing all the components of the railway together, running multiple trains to demonstrate that the central operating system is capable of reliably meeting performance and capacity requirements. The length of time required for Trial Running is dependent on meeting the performance requirements, demonstrating growth in system reliability and achieving the mileage related reliability growth.
On 3 December 2020, Crossrail Ltd reached a significant milestone in the programme with the start of Systems Integration Dynamic Testing. It presents an opportunity, ahead of Trial Running, to test the signalling software on the central operating system, with up to 8 trains operating on a simulated timetabled service. This testing will improve reliability and identify any software fixes and updates required, ahead of Trial Running.

Low Traffic Neighbourhoods

Andrew Boff: Does the Mayor agree that the Bowes LTN effectively pushes more traffic on to the North Circular Road and has failed to reduce NO2?

The Mayor: Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs) are a long-standing transport planning tool to reduce through-traffic on minor roads, enabling Londoners to switch car trips for walking, cycling and public transport where possible. Alongside other measures, LTNs can play an important role in improving air quality and Londoners’ health.
Together with the boroughs, Transport for London (TfL) is monitoring the impacts of LTNs on traffic and bus performance. TfL monitors flows in total vehicle kilometres across six different sections of the A406. This monitoring has found no evidence of more traffic on the A406 adjacent to the Bowes LTN when compared to the other sections monitored. In fact, there is some evidence of a reduction in traffic, with average traffic flows during 2020 on the Great Cambridge roundabout section of the A406 lower than their equivalent 2019 baseline when compared to the remainder of the A406.

Protest costs

Susan Hall: For each of the years Nov 16 to Oct 17, Nov 17 to Oct 18, Nov 18 to Oct 19 and Nov 19 to Oct 20, what was the total cost for policing protests?

Please provide a further breakdown of the five most expensive groups/issues to protest for the same periods.

The Mayor: The Metropolitan Police Service has two tiers of management for public events, Borough level or, for larger events, central aid and resourcing. Central aid and resourcing also deals with any major events, for example Notting Hill Carnival or state visits.
It is not possible to identify and calculate protest costs as requested because the resource at a borough level cannot be distinguished from the cost of local policing, while the resource at a city-wide level will not exclusively relate to protests.

Face Masks on Buses

Keith Prince: I have received a number of complaints from TfL Bus Drivers about the absence of TfL enforcement officers on Buses since March 2020. Following up on your response to Question 2020/2669, how many of the recorded enforcement incidents you cited involved Bus Passengers? Please provide me with a breakdown for the period provided in your response, showing the specific TfL service (i.e., Underground, Overground, Bus, PHV, Dial-a-Ride) involved.

The Mayor: Further to my response to 2020/2669, the attached table shows the breakdown of the figures by mode to 17 September 2020. Please note that some of these figures have been updated since 2020/2669 was published; these changes are denoted with an asterisk.
When interpreting the data, please note that:
While passenger compliance with the requirement to wear face coverings on public transport remains very high in general, Transport for London (TfL) has recently stepped up its enforcement of face coverings, with a new cohort of TfL enforcement officers completing training in December. This boosts TfL’s enforcement team to around 500 officers, who are handing out more fines to non-compliers and prosecuting those who do not pay. Operations are regularly carried out at locations where low compliance has been reported.

The Mayor: Attachments
0123 - face masks on buses data.xlsx

Police Officers (2)

Shaun Bailey: How much does it cost to hire a police officer?

The Mayor: To recruit a new police officer to the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) costs around £2763. This figure represents the combined sums for marketing, assessments and administration.

Standard of TfL Consultation

Tony Devenish: At last month’s MQT you told Assembly Member Boff that TfL would “continue to do what we do, which is have world-leading consultation with disabled Londoners, continue to have the equality impact assessments that we do.” Can you provide chapter and verse evidence to back up this statement for changes you have made since March 2020?

The Mayor: Every project that Transport for London (TfL) takes forward is required to have an Equality Impact Assessment (EqIA). This ensures that TfL look at the impact of the scheme on anyone with protected characteristics, including disability. If that scheme is brought forward to public consultation, TfL use the EqIA to help plan how they can best consult and engage with individuals or groups that would be most affected. All TfL consultations since March 2020 have followed this process and we have published EqIA’s on our consultation portal for each of these. TfL has worked closely with organisations representing disabled Londoners as part of the planning for e-scooter trials in the capital and their insights and feedback proved critical to the development of the tender for the trial.
All consultation material can be reproduced in braille, easy read format, or large text to cater for individual disability needs. TfL must ensure that material supplied is effective and proportionate to the needs of its users, this also takes into account project costs. An example of this was the trial of tactile maps in 2019 for its consultation on cycling & walking improvements between Lea Bridge & Dalston. This helped blind respondents to better understand the types of changes we were making to local roads.

Abuse of London Underground Staff

David Kurten: I note the poster campaign about passengers abusing staff, currently being run by TfL on the London Underground. I would be interested to learn the statistics of how many staff have been abused over the last five years on the Underground and I would like you to categorise your response by types of abuse.

The Mayor: Tackling work-related violence and aggression (WVA) is a priority for Transport for London (TfL) and its policing partners. A pan-TfL strategy was approved earlier this year, which includes actions for preventing incidents, improving the support given to victims should an incident occur, and being a learning organisation, continually monitoring progress and evaluating work to review and improve how TfL tackles WVA and supports its people.
There are a number of ways staff can report incidents of WVA, including TfL’s own incident reporting methods, reporting to the police, or both. Work is underway to integrate the data to improve TfL’s understanding of the scale and nature of the problem, regardless of how it is reported.
WVA crime data is published in TfL’s Safety, Sustainability and Human Resources Panel (SSHRP) report. This data shows there have been 6,489 work-related violence offences recorded by the British Transport Police (BTP) for London Underground over the past five years. The attached table breaks the BTP data down by type of offence.
In February 2020, the SSHRP approved a comprehensive strategy to eradicate WVA for TfL staff, and the staff of its operators and contractors. Significant effort – including investing in body-worn cameras and establishing a new Transport Support and Enforcement Officer role to protect frontline colleagues by tackling anti-social behaviour – is beginning to deliver results.

The Mayor: Attachments
4339 Abuse of LU staff.xlsx

Face Covering Enforcement

Joanne McCartney: Is it possible for you to provide a borough by borough breakdown of TfL enforcement action regarding passengers who were not wearing a face covering on public transport?

The Mayor: The attached table shows face covering enforcement carried out by Transport for London (TfL) enforcement officers between 4 July and 7 December 2020, broken down by borough. Please note that these figures show engagement and enforcement with non-compliant customers and do not reflect the number of deployments in each area.
The figures do not include police enforcement, though the police are engaging with similar levels of passengers.
TfL and the police are targeting locations and times of day where compliance is reported to be lower.

The Mayor: Attachments
4505 - face covering enforcement data.xlsx

Crossrail Telephone Helpline

Caroline Pidgeon: Please publish a table relating to the 24 hour Helpdesk telephone number0345 602 3813 showing for each week since the 1st January 2020(a) the average waiting time faced by each caller, (b) the longest waiting time faced by a caller, and (c) the total number of abandoned calls by people waiting to access a response to the telephone line.

The Mayor: Please see the below table which shows a) average wait time, b) longest wait time, and c) calls abandoned on the Crossrail Helpdesk for available weeks in 2020.
Calls to the Crossrail Helpdesk line are answered by the Transport for London (TfL) contact centre, in which some call handlers are trained to assist with Crossrail enquiries. In March 2020, call handlers at the contact centre were asked to work from home due to the pandemic. These changes meant that the contact centre had only a very limited ability to take calls. These call lines were prioritised for calls related to safety and social distancing measures, with customers asked to use TfL’s email webform for all other queries, including Crossrail. These temporary changes mean it is not possible to provide the data requested for the period between 18 March and 9 November 2020.
Due to the current coronavirus restrictions, TfL currently has fewer call handlers in the office than usual. There have been times when customers have had to wait longer than usual. TfL is currently in the process of training more call handlers to assist with Crossrail queries, which will provide more resilience during busy periods.

The Mayor: Attachments
0098 Crossrail Telephone Helpline attachment.pdf

The Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution (3)

Leonie Cooper: In ‘The ten point plan for a green industrial revolution’ the government sets out plans to extend segregated cycle lanes. How many miles of new cycle lanes are expected to be funded in London?

The Mayor: The Prime Minister’s ‘Ten point plan for a green industrial revolution’ makes reference to the Government’s commitment to invest £2bn in walking and cycling schemes over the next five years, including new cycling facilities.
In 2020/21, the Government allocated £250m of this funding to local authorities in England through the Active Travel Fund, including £25m of funding for London. In addition to this, Transport for London’s (TfL’s) emergency funding settlements with the Government have included funding for active travel and Healthy Streets delivery in London, including £55m of funding in H1 and £75m of funding in H2.
In the first half of 20/21, 70km of new and upgraded temporary cycle routes have been constructed, with a further 20km under construction the Streetspace for London programme, and delivery will continue throughout the remainder of the year. Funding for these temporary schemes has been drawn from both the Government’s Active Travel Fund and TfL’s emergency funding settlements.
At this stage, it is currently unclear whether London will be eligible for further allocations from the Active Travel Fund in 21/22 and beyond. However, TfL and I will continue to make the case for investment in transport and a fair allocation of this funding to London, and continue with the rapid construction of a cycle network across the city.

Discrepancy in Length of Fieldwork for Internal Audits of First Group TOL.

Keith Prince: In your response to Question 2018/1315, IA 13744 (2014) shows the fieldwork was started and completed in 1 day (18 June 2014) and IA 17780 (2017) shows fieldwork was started and completed in 2 days (13 June-15 June 2017), yet your response to Question 2019/17340 shows fieldwork for IA 16767 started 18 October 2016 and wasn’t scheduled for completion until 15 November 2016.

How do you explain the huge discrepancy between the fieldwork required for each of these 3 different safety audits especially when IA 16767 was commenced prior to Sandilands and IA 17780—which took place after—only involved 2 days of fieldwork?

Can you assure me that the audit information contained in "IA 16 767vd DRAFT Version D” has not been altered ex post facto to show IA 16767’s fieldwork scheduled to be concluded after Sandilands?

The Mayor: The date of 15 November 2016 was not altered following the Sandilands incident. I refer you to the letter of engagement for audit IA 16767 dated 12 October 2016 which commits to 15 November 2016 as the end of fieldwork deadline.
The period to 15 November 2016 was the period within which the fieldwork was to be carried out. It does not indicate the duration of the fieldwork. That can vary depending on audit, evidence provided, leave and workload. All audit milestones are agreed and tracked by the Audit Manager.

Strategic cycle network

Caroline Russell: Could you show the length in metres of your strategic cycle network by borough and programme (Cycleway, Quietway, Superhighway, Streetspace) split further to show the length of network on borough roads and Transport for London (TfL) roads within each programme?

The Mayor: In October, 26 per cent of the London-wide strategic cycle network had been delivered, totalling 362 kilometres. This includes temporary cycle routes delivered as part of the London Streetspace Programme. This has led to an increase in the proportion of Londoners living within 400 metres of the cycle network to 17.9 per cent (up from 8.8 per cent in 2017).
Please see LIP3 MTS outcomes borough pack – December 2020.xlsx (tab Outcome 1b cycle network access) here for a breakdown of the proportion of Londoners living within 400 meters of cycle network per borough.
TfL is also able to provide a breakdown of the strategic cycle network by programme, and would be happy to share this with you. Please contact TfL’s Government Relations team if this would be helpful.

Borough Streetspace schemes funded by Transport for London (2)

Caroline Russell: Thank you for your answers to my questions 2020/2622 and 2020/1657 on Streetspace schemes that you have funded in London boroughs. Will you provide a list of these schemes with delivery status including: a) identification number, b) borough, c) project name, d) number of schemes, e) Transport for London (TfL) funding request, f) intervention type, g) initial funding, h) funding to date, and i) a summary of projects by borough and scheme type?

The Mayor: Please find attached tables containing the information requested.

The Mayor: Attachments
4298 appendix A scheme status.pdf
4298 appendix B scheme summary.pdf

Transport for London employee travel plan (2)

Caroline Russell: Thank you for your answer to my question 2020/2628. You supplied a general statement on the impacts of coronavirus on staff travel which did not contain the same level of detail as your answer to my similar question 2020/2629 about London Fire Brigade (LFB). Could you confirm whether Transport for London (TfL) has an employee travel plan, and whether surveys are conducted into the modes of transport used by staff to commute to work? If so, could you provide details of this plan, including any targets and measures taken to reduce car commuting, alongside any data held on employee commuting mode share collected over the past ten years?

The Mayor: Transport for London (TfL) does not have a specific travel plan for its employees. It does have a travel at work policy for employees who travel as part of their job requirements. This is underpinned by an ambition to reduce the overall amount of travel by its employees where possible and appropriate, and to promote the use of sustainable transport for employees who travel in the course of their work. The policy is in keeping with my Transport, Climate Change and Air Quality strategies and road safety targets.
While TfL does not currently conduct surveys into the modes of transport used by staff, in addition to details outlined in my response for MQ 2020/2628, TfL champions walking, cycling and public transport use for staff and customers (in line with current coronavirus Government guidance) and TfL employees are encouraged to consider active travel modes when planning their journey to and from work.
Throughout TfL’s response to the pandemic, it has given consideration to whether employees may have challenges maintaining social distancing while travelling to work, particularly if they have a requirement to travel during peak hours.
For some situations we recognise there may be value in temporarily making special arrangements to bring critical workers to and from work via use of their car or staff taxi. Critical workers may request reimbursement for car mileage and parking charges.

Female Reoffending (1)

Susan Hall: Further to your press release in 2017 entitled "Mayor's £500,000 boost to services to tackle female reoffending", how successful has the Mayor's £500,000 funding boost been, in terms of tackling female reoffending in the capital? What is the evidence that 950 offenders across London have since benefited? Please provide examples of work carried out as an enhancement to the previous work of the Minerva project, in terms of supporting women when leaving custody or serving their sentence in the community.

The Mayor: The Mayor’s investment was a contribution to an overall investment of £1,200,000 to provide female offender services to 21 boroughs in London. £700,000 of that was from the Community Rehabilitation Company. The Mayor’s £500,0000 was specifically targeted at 10 boroughs to reach 400 women with the most complex needs who were leaving prison custody or serving their sentence in the community. 438 clients engaged with the pilot, exceeding the target of 400 women set by MOPAC.
Interim research shows that those women with the most complex needs were effectively supported with benefits including allocated keyworkers, providing longer-term one-to-one support, provision of counselling, group work, and advocacy. These women experienced improvements in crime free lives, mental health, substance misuse, relationships and family, accommodation and financial management. Research into the impact of the Female Offending Wrap Around initiative is being conducted, with a final evaluation report due for publication in August 2022.